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Archive for Rome

Eating Rome – La Pergola

Jul02

Restaurant: La Pergola

Location: Via Alberto Cadlolo, 101, Roma

Date: June 9, 2015

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Carts, carts, and more carts!

_

And on to our first “fancy” dinner, Rome’s sole 3 star Michelin Restaurant, La Pergola. Even our six year old got to enjoy this one, earning himself more than 8 Michelin stars during the trip.

La Pergola is located high above the city in the Cavalieri hotel. This is a very elegant property but with a uniquely Italian blend of 60s, modern, and antique elements.

The view is spectacular. St Peter’s can be seen in the background.

The lovely main dining hall.
What would a 3 star be without various carts and trays. In this case the pepper tray, in case you really have a preference as to pepper.


Or the fancy salts tray (or trays).


And this giant block of crystallized salt.

Or balsamic. I think there was an olive oil one too.

Or sugars.

We chose some bubbly from the champagne bucket.

Then the bread carver set to work on the extensive basket.

A first flight of breads.

Tonight’s menu.


An amuse of smoked duck. Lovely smoky flavor.

Tuna Carpaccio with wasabi cream, cumin seed gelatine, and red beets. The rectangular slab was the tuna. The pink things had a light, almost Meringue-like texture.



2011 Villa Diamante Fiano di Avellino Vigna della Congregazione. The waiter recommended this lovely Southern Italian White, and it turns out I actually have 4 bottles of this exact wine in my cellar!

Frisella with croutons and red shrimps. Basically a dehydrated panzanella salad. The “bread” was probably freeze dried and had a light airy texture. The raw shrimps were lovely too.

I belive artichoke hearts.

S-campo. A bit of fresh shrimp with dehydrated ingredients, including seaweed.

Then rehydrated with consommé. It wasn’t so much of a looker afterward, but tasted good.

Fagottelli “La Pergola.” These amazing little tortellini were filled with liquid parmesan and exploded in the mouth. Plus there was some pancetta! Amazing.

White asparagus, topinambur puree, balsamic vinegar and strawberries.

Cod with chili pepper sauce and marinated anchovies. This salty sauce reminded me of certain Chinese sweet and sour fish sauces, but it was saltier. Rather delicious and the fish was perfectly moist.

1982 Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo Vigna Cicala. 93 points. Light red, fading into the browns. Lots of caramel and cedar, but still very nice fruit, tons of tannin, and drinking well. Probably a bit past its prime, but still a very nice wine.

Braised veal cheek with curly endive, burrata and spiced popped rice. A super tender chunk of meat.

Seabass and peppers.

The cheese cart. I do love a proper cheese cart.

Cheese. I went for the smelly strong ones.

And bread for the cheese, including an almost panforte like slab of fruit and nuts.

Candles.

And the special napkin plate.


Next up is the ultimate little dessert tower. Twelve little confections, each with one per person. They were amazing.

Iced sphere of red fruit on tea cream with crystalized raspberries.

The sphere was like a sphere of sorbet. This was basically like a chocolate and berries desert, with interesting texture and temperature. Rather delicious. The potency of berry flavor came from the raspberries.

Alex had his own “tasting menu” of penne pomodoro, a “parmesan” course (I forgot to photo).

And chocolate gelato (with accompaniments).

Then there were more bon bons, little delicate home made chocolates.

Certainly an amazing meal. A tad on the long side with a six year-old, as we started when they opened and finished at midnight when everyone else did. In fact, it seemed that no matter when you started, they rapidly had you on basically the same schedule. But everything was humming at 3 star level. The setting was fabulous, the service impeccable, the food inventive and delicious. Every dish worked, although perhaps not every dish was amazing. Some were, like the cheese filled pasta. Great stuff!

Click here to see more Eating Italy posts.

Related posts:

  1. Eating Rome – Roscioli
  2. Eating Rome – La Campana
  3. Eating Rome – Trastevere
  4. Eating Siena – Trattoria Pepei
  5. Eating Colle di Val d’Elsa – Arnolfo
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: eating-italy, Italian cuisine, La Pergola, Michelin, Rome

Eating Rome – Trastevere

Jun26

Restaurant: Eating Italy Rome

Location: Trastavere, Rome

Date: June 8, 2015

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Fun and tasty

_

Just a week or so before leaving for Italy my mom learned that one of my second cousins actually lived in Rome, and not only that, that he ran a gourmet food tour business. Turned out some of our other cousins had been on one of the tours and loved it — so we hastily signed up.

We met in this typical looking church square on an island in the Tiber. This particular tour was a four hour later afternoon/evening stroll around Trastevere trying out all sorts of various little eats.

Our lovely and vivacious guide was Jasine.



Here is the map and menu so to speak.

First stop is Da Enzo, a popular trattoria.

Not a giant place as you can see. We began with some Prosecco, but I forgot to photo it.

Burrata, Prosciutto, melon. A classic bit of antipasto. The burrata might have warmed up a bit much as it was making a valiant effort to return to the milk from which it came. Still, a yummy start.

And the vegetarian version featured eggplant instead.

Next up is Spirito di Vino — an auspicious name.

And down into the ancient cellar.

Really down.


2013 Molino a Vento Nero d’Avola Sicilia. A robust Sicilian red. Not my usual wine “level” and a bit over-oaked, but nice enough.

Baked pasta. A layered baked dish of pasta, cheese, and tomato sauce. Like lasagna meets baked ziti.

Ancient pork. A pork shoulder recipe from ancient Rome!

Cheesy grits. Not really, but mashed potato or polenta mixed with cheese. Delicious.

Third is a bit of mid dessert. Innocenti biscotti (cookies).

They make traditional tarts.

And various cookies. This kind had an apricot  jam layer.

Then on the left chocolate dipped and on the right hazelnut macaroons, not so different than my mother’s Passover macaroons, but those use almonds.

Fourth is cheese at Anitica Caciara.

Dairy on display.

And the fresh stuff that never is that great in the states.


It goes on and on.

But we came for the Pecorino Romana, here seen aging. Notice the olive oil drip to the right. It literally oozes oil as it dries.


Fresh Pecorino. Nutty and mild.


Aged Pecorino Romano. Stronger and delicious.

After cheese is meat! Antica Norcineria.

Specializing in the famous Porchetta!

Have a few cured meats.

Or olives.
The “white pizza”, otherwise known as focaccia.

And the porchetta itself, drizzled with olive oil.

These last two are assembled into the “sandwich.”

And the vegetarians got some olives, ricotta, and honey.

Next, on to I Suppli for more snacks.

Fried stuff.

And this kind of Roman pizza by the slice.


The Suppli is really well fried and served piping hot.

Inside is a delicious mix of risotto, cheese, and meat. Really delicious.

Enotecca Ferrara is where we will fill up apparently.

Typical cute inside.

Some slightly sweet prosecco.

This Italian Merlot doesn’t even make it onto Cellar Tracker. It wasn’t too bad for a YOUNG merlot.

Ricotta with cheese and pomodoro sauce. A bit of a peppery kick too, quite nice.

cacio e pepe. The classic Roman pasta. Love it.

Gnocci with scamorza (smoked mozzarella).

And what would an Italian food tour be without gelato? Fatamorgana.

All organic, this gelato place was has very interesting flavors like “pears, porto wine, and elder”!

I got passionfruit and grapefruit with orange or lemon. The grapefruit in particular was amazing, with a 10 minute finish! This place is a little less creamy (I think they use less dairy) but VERY tasty.

And they have gelato sushi!

Or some of these Italian ice cream confectionaries.

All in all, a delightful evening of really yummy treats. If you are in Rome and love food I highly recommend it. The wine was too young and casual for my taste, but the food, without being fancy, was fabulous. It showed up the kind of street food and ingredient focused items that would easily be overlooked, but make Italy just so tasty.

Click here to see more Eating Italy posts.

Related posts:

  1. Eating Rome – Roscioli
  2. Eating Rome – La Campana
  3. Eating Staggia – Pozzo dei Desideri
  4. Eating Tuscany – Boar at Home
  5. Eating Milano Marittima – Lo Sporting
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: eating-italy, Gelato, pasta, Rome, Trastevere, Wine

Eating Rome – La Campana

Jun22

Restaurant: La Campana

Location: Vicolo della Campana, 18, 00186 Roma

Date: June 7, 2015

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Oldest trattoria in Rome

_

La Campana is one of Rome’s oldest restaurants, perhaps 500 years old — although one would have to speculate that the kitchen traditions have changed a bit in this vast swath of time.

Nevertheless, it remains a well respected trattoria in the Roman tradition.

Today’s menu.

2009 Arnaldo-Caprai Sagrantino di Montefalco Collepiano. 90 points.

Self serve antipasta bar.

My plate.

Baked Scamorza cheese. Delicious and gooey.

Paccheri pomodoro. Classic.

Fettuccine Porcine. Another classic.

Paccheri all’amatriciana. Like the pomodoro, but taken to the next level by the pancetta.

Ricotta ravioli with butter and sage. Simple but delicious.

Cod, pan fried, with french fries. Like a fish version of veal scaloppini.

Fried cod. Fish minus the chips.

Bresolla with arugula and parmesan.

Porchetta. This version seemed more roasted with the natural jus, plus roasted potatoes.

Apple tart.

La Campana was simple, traditional, and very well executed. It is a bit more old fashioned than Roscioli, and so slightly less to my taste, but this was a good meal, standing on the plinth of Italian tradition that makes the country one of the best places to eat in the world.

Click here to see more Eating Italy posts.

Related posts:

  1. Eating Rome – Roscioli
  2. Eating Siena – Trattoria Pepei
  3. Eating Monteriggioni – Il Pozzo
  4. Eating Poggibonsi – Osteria da Camillo
  5. Eating Milano Marittima – Lo Sporting
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: eating-italy, Italian cuisine, La Campana, Rome

Eating Rome – Roscioli

Jun15

Restaurant: Roscioli

Location:Via dei Giubbonari, 21/22, 00186 Roma

Date: June 6, 2015

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Really superb updated trattoria food

_

Kicking off my Eating Italy 2015 is this update on the traditional Roman trattoria. I found it by extensive online searching for top Roman restaurants.

Roscioli is also a Salumeria.

Some of the wares up front.

A small section of tables crammed into the typical (and attractive) Roman interior.

The breads were pretty amazing. At least one was sweet.

These pizza-like flatbreads were delicious.






The long menu.

2006 Azienda Agricola Bucci Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Riserva Villa Bucci. VM 90. The summer’s Verdicchio Classico Riserva 2006 Villa Bucci flows with gorgeous layers of ripe apricots, peaches, flowers, smoke and minerals. This is a wonderfully rich, expansive Verdicchio That blossoms on the palate with notable complexity and nuance. At four years of age, it is still incredibly vibrant! The 2006 reserve can be enjoyed today, but it looks to have anche a very bright future ahead of it.

agavin: The server recommended this, and as I’ve never had an aged Verdicchio before I really wanted to try it. Very interesting and aromatic with a touch of oxidation and a nose almost like a white Burgundy. Really dry and complex.

This is also another local summer favorite, a blend of a Campari-like liquor and Prosecco.

Roman Arancini. Fried risotto.

Inside is rice, cheese, and a ragu. Really creamy and delicious.

BURRATA FROM ANDRIA WITH RAW PRAWNS TARTARE. king prawns tartare served with burrata cheese and finished
with favignana botargo curls.

Unusual but delightful combination of burrata with the raw prawn and the slight briny crunch of the botarga. Eaten in tiny mouthfuls to be savored, and an amazing pairing with the aged white wine.

PUGLIESE “BURRATA” WITH ANCHOVIES. anchovies from cantrabian sea (fished in 2014).

I haven’t generally paired burrata with fish, but it certainly worked here to showcase this even creamier version of the cheese.

FRIED ANCHOVIES. Fresch fried anchovies with pepper sauce and chilli.

A more elegant take on the classic little fried bait fish.

BUTTER AND PARMESAN. short pasta – rigatone – with echirè butter “demi-sel”, parmesan made from red cow’s milk, seasoned for 36 months and “bruna alpina” parmesan seasoned for 30th months.

My son’s favorite cheese is red cow parm, so he HAD to get this.

“LA MATRICIANA O AMATRICIANA”. bombolotto paffuto pasta tossed with san marzano dop tomatoe sauce, crispy cheek pig and romanian dop pecorino cheese.

Classic Roman. The pork was crunchy!

ANCHOVIES PASTA. home cooked fresh anchovies and egg, wild fennel, chopped tomato and toasted hazelnuts.

A slight update to Pasta con Sardo, the very unusual medieval pasta.

CHEESE AND PEPPER (CACIO E PEPE). tonnarello tossed with romanian pecorino cheese dop, “cacio” from moliterno, pecorino di fossa from sogliano del rubicone and malaisian black pepper.

Amazing pasta and nicely cheesy. Maybe not as much pepper as I might like but delicious.

“LA CARBONARA”. spaghettone pasta tossed with crispy pork cheek, malaisian black pepper, paolo parisi eggs and romanian pecorino cheese dop.

Another Roman classic. Really done to perfection. The airy porky crunch of the fried pork cheek was to die for.

chicory tossed with garlic, olive oil and chilly flakes.

Colon sweeper!

SALMON SELECTION. selection of salmons: scottish from cutherland, norwegian from vetvikja island and marinated with dill garnished with fresh lemon juice. A whole lotta lox!

ROMAN MEATBALLS. roman meatballs tossed in a rich tomato sauce garnished with smoked ricotta cheese curls and chestnuts polenta.

Really savory meatballs here. Lots of complex porky flavor and super light and fluffy. Great tomato sauce too.

Some little shortbread cookies with chocolate dipping sauce.

Overall, really really tasty food. Takes the classic fare, and for the most part neither deconstructs or reinvents it, but by using both amazing ingredients, slick execution, and lively plating, brings it up to date.

Click here to see more Eating Italy posts.

Related posts:

  1. Eating Poggibonsi – Osteria da Camillo
  2. Eating Siena – Trattoria Pepei
  3. Eating Poggibonsi – Babette
  4. Eating Tuscany – Boar at Home
  5. Eating Santa Margherita – La Paranza
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: eating-italy, Italian Cusine, Italy, Rome, Roscioli

Reference Pasta – Cacio e Pepe

Jan15

I’m pretty much a pasta fiend, particularly good homemade pasta, so an evening home with my son afforded a good opportunity to try out my pasta cooking chops on this ultimate reference pasta — cacio e pepe. Literarily, it just means “cheese & pepper” and it’s an extremely basic pasta from Rome that showcases its extremely few ingredients. In Gavin tradition, like my ultimate pizza or my uber tiramisu, I try to do it to the highest standard of quality.


That starts with a good pasta. Cacio e pepe is traditionally done with spaghetti or a similar thick long pasta. This pici, is a thick hand rolled pasta, like fat spaghetti. This one is homemade (not by me) out of durum semolina and has a fantastic bite and coarse surface perfect for saucing.

This is a 22 minute to al dente pasta! Wow. I used a pinch of applewood smoked salt in the water to lend a slight smokiness to it.


Some other supplementary ingredients. More on the egg late, but you need a little fat. The most traditional would be pancetta, but staying dairy olive oil or butter work fine. Romans would usually use the pork or olive oil. In the grinder is very fresh, very strong black peppercorns. This awesome grinder makes a very coarse grind. It’s extremely important to have coarse ground bitey pepper. This pasta is about cheese and pepper — so none of that weak sauce pepper with no flavor.


The don’t call it “cheese and pepper” for nothing.


My son and I grated the cheese as the pasta cooked. Only real, fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano will do. Check out the cute little olive wood grater box I bought last time I was in Tuscany.


And the signature cheese: Cacio de Roma (Roman Cheese). This is a sharp, salty, medium firm, creamy sheepmilk cheese. You could use generic pecorino, but it’s not really creamy enough. This is the right cheese.


Drain the pasta and keep some water (I just plucked it out with tongs and dropped it into the strainer). Even at 22 minutes it was seriously al dente, very thick, with a nice weightiness to it. Don’t rinse it. You want that starch.


Now here is the secret to proper pasta that Americans forget. You have to make the sauce in a pan and throw the cooked pasta into it. Before adding the noodles, I melted some fat (butter this time), then toasted some pepper in it for a minute or so, then added a bit of the pasta water and boiled it. This creates a butter/starch base. In went the pasta.


And then most of the cheese (about 3/4 a cup of ground Parmesan and 1/3 a cup of Cacio). You toss it all around for a minute or so to melt the cheese into the sauce and coat the noodles.


To finish it, I ground in a bunch more pepper and threw in an egg yolk. A tasty Carbonara I had a month ago gave me this idea. It’s not strictly traditional to the Cacio e Pepe, but it does add a nice richness. I stirred that in too.


And voila, one heart stopping bowl of simple pasta. This was pretty spectacular. Very weighty, with a richness to the eggy cheese, and a good bite from the pepper. Adult mac & cheese done right.

For more food write-ups, click here.

Related posts:

  1. Hostaria del Piccolo – Pizza + Pasta
  2. Quick Eats: Andy’s Spanish Eggs
  3. The “Reform Kosher” for Passover Tuna Melt
  4. Eating Bologna – Trattoria Leonida
  5. Ultimate Pizza – The Toppings
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Al dente, Black pepper, Cacio de Roma, Cacio e Pepe, Cooking, italian, Olive oil, pasta, Recipe, Rome

Last Generation

Dec11

9780520201538Title: The Last Generation of the Roman Republic

Author: Erich S. Gruen

Genre: History

Length: 596 pages

Read: November 1 – Dec 6, 2013

Summary: Fascinating and detailed

_

I love to read about ancient history in general, and Roman history in particular, as I’m fascinated by the cultural differences (a.k.a. similarities) and the stark political lessons illustrated again and again (and all too often ignored today). But, for reading this book, I had an even better excuse, as I’m doing research for a new novel: an epic political fantasy set in highly cosmopolitan ancient world (inspired by our own, but different).

Last Gen, being an academic text, focuses entirely on the real Age of Cicero, laser beaming in on politics in the era between the civil wars of Sulla and Julius Caesar. It doesn’t even cover the wars themselves, but makes a solid and intensely researched academic argument about the inevitability (or not) of the fall of the Roman Republic.

For those of you who don’t know, the Roman Republic was a complex, somewhat aristocratic, but essentially democratic civilization that lasted 450 years, took over half the known world, and eventually succumbed not to enemies, but to internal transformation into the Roman Empire. In many ways, these are two distinct states. The history of Rome represents at least 4 states (The Republic, Empire, Western Empire, and Byzantine Empires). Anyway, because of the close resemblance between our own government (no coincidence as the American founding fathers based our constitution on the Roman Republic, even down to naming conventions like… hold your breath… senators), the Republic’s twenty year transition from a state where power derived from the people to a fully autocratic one is terrifying in the least. So why and how did this happen?

Last Gen systematically tackles each source of power in Republic and many of the traditional assumptions as to the foreordained nature of the fall. He argues quite convincingly that the last decades of the Republic, far for heralding the Empire to come betray a state that was essentially conservative in nature and operating more or less as it had for some time — and nearly free of revolutionary forces. In the end, a series of individual moves by individual men unwittingly set into motion catastrophe. The conservative bloc, along with an ambitious tribune, worked so diligently to break up the alliance between Caesar and Pompey (a typical Roman political move) that they forced the two into a situation where armed conflict was the only means by which both could preserve their aristocratic dignity. This might seem like a petty reason to enter into a world war, but to the Roman politician, dignitas was everything. And so has it been through the ages. I discussed some time ago the almost pathetically silly series of events that led Europe into the disastrous World War I (and hence II). Not really very different. Nations, like consuls of Rome, are loathe to back down.

Sigh.

But this makes for a fascinating book that gives a  good sense of the complex nature of Roman politics. Would be readers, should however, note that this is dense reading. Nearly every paragraph contains at least one extended list of Roman senators (usually abbreviated) rattled off in example. The prose is almost comically stilted. Gruen has this particular declarative style that takes a bit of getting used to, but is quite wry. This is also not an introductory book and only suitable for those fairly familiar with the basic organization of Republican government. If you don’t know a Praetor from a Quaestor, start somewhere else. But if you do, The Last Generation of the Roman Republic has a lot to say.

For more book reviews, click here.

Related posts:

  1. Book Review: A World Undone
  2. At the Roman Table
  3. TV Review: Downton Abbey
  4. Some Ideas Never Die
  5. Kushiel’s Dart
By: agavin
Comments (7)
Posted in: Books, History
Tagged as: Erich S. Gruen, History, Julius Caesar, Pompey, Rome, Sulla, The Last Generation of the Roman Republic

At the Roman Table

Jul16

What better intersection of my interests than a meal based on Ancient Roman cuisine. On Thursday July 14 and 15th the Getty Villa offered a combination of lecture on ancient food and a meal of authentic Roman dishes based on the legendary recipes of Apicius. I had used this very same cookbook as the basis for our Empires of the Ancient World Ball back in 2006! The event page for the Getty dinner is here, although it might eventually go away.


We enter the new Getty Villa, which mixes a gorgeous setting, the lovely and semi-authentic original villa, and Richard Meier‘s over-modern Travertine slabs (I personally think the architecture of both Getty’s should have been entirely traditional, as I DO NOT subscribe to the ornament is dead school of thought).


Food historian Andrew Dalby starts the evening by exploring dining practices in the city that once ruled the Mediterranean. He identifies the range of luxuries that comprised a fashionable meal 2,000 years ago: great wines, local farm produce, and exotic spices from India and beyond. Dalby illustrates how invitations and place settings at the table were calculated to impress, persuade, or seduce. Gaius Julius Caesar understood better than any of his rivals that food could serve as a means of persuasion. How did Caesar, a relatively unknown politician, build up the influence that made him a dictator and gave birth to a new political structure? Dalby shares examples from the ruler’s feasts and entertainments to shed fresh light on this pivotal period of Roman history.


Andrew Dalby is an historian and linguist with a special interest in food history. He collaborated with Sally Grainger on The Classical Cookbook (Getty Publications, 1995), which explores the culinary history of ancient Greece and Rome and includes recipes adapted for the modern kitchen. His bookDangerous Tastes (2000), on the origins of the spice trade, was a Guild of Food Writers Food Book of the Year. His other publications include Empire of Pleasures (2000), which addresses food and other luxuries in Roman writings; light-hearted accounts of Bacchus and Venus (Getty Publications, 2003 and 2005); and a new biography of the Greek statesman, Eleftherios Venizelos (2010). His latest translation, Geoponika (2011), brings to light a forgotten primary source on food and farming in Roman and Byzantine times.


Then we proceed into the main villa for dinner.

The food portion was supervised by Sally Grainger, who trained as a chef in her native Coventry, England, before developing an interest in the ancient world and taking a degree in ancient history from the University of London. Combining her professional skills with her expertise in the culinary heritage of the Greek and Roman world, she now pursues a career as a food historian, consultant, and experimental archaeologist.

Grainger’s recent projects include Roman food tastings at the British Museum and the Bath Roman Museum in England. She has demonstrated ancient cooking techniques for English Heritage and also Butser Ancient Farm, a reconstructed Iron Age village and laboratory for experimental archaeology. Grainger recently acquired an M.A. in archaeology and is currently researching the extensive trade across the Roman world of the fermented fish sauce known as garum. With her husband, Christopher Grocock, Grainger published a new translation of the Roman recipe book Apicius for Prospect Books. She has also published a companion volume of recipes, Cooking Apicius.


An aperitif of saffron and honey infused wine. This tasted pretty much the same as the “wine coolers” I made at my party by mixing Soave (a traditional Venetian white that lore has Livia the wife of Augustus praising) with honey.


A table showing off some imperial produce.


Artichokes, pomegranates, raddishes etc.


Suey!!!


More produce.


At the table we are greeted by a menu, and a sprig of aromatic lavender. The full menu can be seen here.

“Traditional White Spelt Loaf: spelt flour, bread flour, yeast.” Rustic roman bread. Food this simple hasn’t changed much, it was pretty bread-like.

“Cucumber in a Mint‐and‐Honey Dressing: cucumber, honey, fish sauce, vinegar, black pepper, mint.”

“Sweet‐and‐Sour Egg and Leek Dipping Sauce with Crudités: cumin, myrtle berries, black pepper, parsley, leek, eggs, honey, white wine vinegar, olive oil, fish sauce”

The cucumbers were very tasty. The sauce was good too, it just had a slightly odd flavor that took a little getting used to.

It’s worth mentioning the infamous Roman fish sauce, garum. This was a type of fermented fish sauce condiment that was an essential flavour in Ancient Roman cooking, the supreme condiment. Although it enjoyed its greatest popularity in the Roman world, it originally came from the Greeks, gaining its name from the Greek words garos or gáron (γάρον), which named the fish whose intestines were originally used in the condiment’s production.

Around the outside edge:

“Chicken Meatballs with a Dill and Rice‐infused Sauce:

Meatballs: chicken, pheasant, sweet wine, black pepper, fish sauce, egg, bread crumbs, dill hydrogarum (cooking liquor): pepper corns, fish sauce, sweet wine, water, Spanish camomile, celery leaves

Sauce: chicken stock, fresh green dill, black pepper, salt, celery seed, arborio rice, defrutum (boiled and flavoured grape juice)”

The meatballs were good, like chicken meatballs with a slightly sweet flavor.


Then in the center:

“Calf’s Kidney stuffed with Coriander, Fennel Seed, and Pine Nuts: calf’s kidney, pine nuts, fennel seed, fresh coriander, black pepper, pigs caul fat, fish sauce, olive oil”

I can’t say I’m a big kidney fan, and this is, well kidney. It was rubbery, with a very very long finish. I just can’t say it was a pleasant one. It’s all the kidney’s fault though, not the recipe per se.

“Oysters with oenogarum: fish sauce, white wine, honey, black pepper, ground celery seed.”

Wow. These were interesting. The oysters are oysters, but the flavor in combination with the oenogarum was REALLY interesting. It added a pleasant, slightly vinegary, sweet briny taste which lasted in the mouth for a good minute or two. I could only describe it as “essence of maryland blue-crab aftertaste.”

“Zucchini Stuffed with Calf’s Sweetbread, Dressed with oenogarum and Served with Mixed Greens: zucchini, calf’s sweetbread, oregano, lovage, fish sauce, eggs, black pepper, mixed baby greens.”

These tasted good, but as usual it’s hard for me to get over my brain aversion, although that was entirely psychological.

“Sea Bass Fillets in a Green Herb Sauce: sea bass, fresh fennel, coriander, mint, rue, lovage, honey, fish sauce, oil, black pepperMain.”

Like herby sea bass!

“porcellum hortolanum: Whole Stuffed Roasted Pig

Stuffing: chicken, pork, eggs, cumin, fennel seed, oregano, savoury or thyme, pine nuts, parsley, pepper corns, pepper, salt, bread crumbs.”

Now this was some good stuff. I was reminded of this crazy pig video (below). They have essentially taken a roasted pig, taken out everything inside, and then packed the skin together with sausage, the meat and all sorts of other goodies to make a giant piggy-shaped meatloaf!


The pig plated.

Shredded Cabbage and Leek with Coriander and Caraway: white cabbage, coriander, leek, olive oil, black pepper, caraway, fish sauce.”

Roman cole slaw! Tasted like slightly sweet herby slaw.

“Beans in a Honey‐Mustard Sauce: black‐ eyed peas, pine nuts, honey, whole grain mustard, rue, parsley, cumin, white wine vinegar, white wine, black pepper, fish sauce”

Again slightly sweet and herby, with a distinct mustard taste. Actually very yummy beans.


2000 year old BBQ pork with beans and slaw!

“gastris: Sesame Sweetmeat: almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, honey, black pepper.”

I guess this stuff has survived more or less, because I’ve had this greek candy Pasteli that is very similar. Sweet and nutty, kinda dry.

“libum: Honey‐infused Cake Served with Apricot Patina: ricotta, eggs, flour, figs, white wine, honey, dessert wine, defrutum (boiled and flavoured grape juice), cumin, black pepper, apricots.”

This is sort of the ancient version of biscuits with stewed apricots. But like all Roman dishes they are more willing to play with the conventional rules of sweet/savory. Hence, the black pepper! The overall affect was pleasant enough, but certainly not radical.


Luna watches over the festivities.

Overall this was a very enjoyable evening. While a bit strange to our palette, it did show how Roman food was anything but primitive (of course I already knew this :-)). Certainly this was a rare treat. Now I just have to find someplace that serves dormice in walnut sauce! It also made me further appreciate the job Celestino Drago did with adapting recipes from Apicus for our 2006 Ball, as they were nearly as authentic. We did, however, skip the kidneys!

To check out another Getty event involving my favorite Dionysian disciples, the satyrs, click here.

Or for some modern Italian dining, here.

By: agavin
Comments (9)
Posted in: Food, History
Tagged as: A Culinary Adventure at the Getty Villa, Ancient Greece, Ancient history, Andrew Dalby, Apicius, At the Roman Table, Byzantine Empire, Eleftherios Venizelos, Garum, Getty, Getty Villa, History, History of Rome, Italy, Julius Caesar, Richard Meier, roman, Roman Empire, Roman Food, Rome

Eating Siena – Trattoria Pepei

Jun26

Restaurant: Trattoria Pepei

Location: Siena, Italy

Date: June 12 & 19, 2011

Cuisine: Tuscan

Rating: Delicious & Fun!

ANY CHARACTER HERE

Our first full day in tuscany and we went into Siena. We selected a restaurant the night before using Michelin, picking a centrally located one that earned a bib gourmet.


Trattoria Papei which is located in the piazza Mercato right behind the Campos.


They have an extensive terrace area under a network of awnings and umbrellas.


The menu.


We ordered this local, inexpensive, and very pleasant chianti classico reserva. Parker gives it 90 points. “The 2007 Chianti Classico Riserva Il Grigio (Sangiovese) comes across as soft and pliant, very much in the style of the vintage. A warm, open bouquet leads to succulent ripe cherries, flowers and spices, all of which flow through nicely to the enveloping finish. Today the juiciness of the fruit makes Il Grigio very attractive, but readers who prefer more tertiary complexity will want to wait for a few years. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2017. “


A typical (you’ll here this word a lot here) Tuscan anti-pasta: mixed bruschetta. Here are tomato and marinated mushrooms, both delicious.


Melon with Prosciutto di Toscana.

More cured meats and bruschetta. The brown mud like stuff is chicken liver. The round salami is Finnochiona, a typical (again) local salami with a bit of fennel and pepper inside.


A truly excellent Zuppe Minestrone. The vegetables maintained their shape, but were cooked wuch that they melt in the mouth.


Tuscan bread and vegetable (mostly tomato) soup.


The kitchen is run my mama, literally.


Spaghetti pomodoro.


Pappardelle al Ragu Di Cinghiale! Wild boar strikes again.


Tagliatelle with ragu Toscana (mixed meat ragu probably).


Tagliatelle with duck ragu. This was deep and meaty. There must have been some duck liver in the sauce too.


Penne pomodoro.

Cheese ravioli with marinated mushroom sauce.


Pici (homemade local pasta) with cheese and pepper. This is a very simple dish, but when done right, as it was here, it’s amazing! The bright black papper flavor stands out. They have this now at Sotto, a new rustic Italian in LA.


Gnocchi pomodoro. The gnocchi here were soft and delicious, although not quite as good as the ones the first night in Modena.


Gnocchi with butter and sage.


Mixed salad (again).

Another salad, arugala or rocket with tomatos.


Pounded veal in lemon sauce. I’m not a big veal fan but this was good.


BBQ Ribs, Tuscan style. These were not unlike spare ribs at a chinese restaurant. They were a bit chewier than I was used too as the flavorful Tuscan pigs are leaner and free range, and the Italians don’t nuke the meat.


Delicious potatoes in a tomato sauce.

Pounded veal in a mushroom sauce — also excellent.


Chicken Cacciatore.


And at the end some free grappa. Ouch! taste-buds still stinging.


Cafe expresso.

This is a fun and delicious place. It’s located in the lovely square above. They may cater to tourists, but they serve amazing traditional Tuscan food prepared with very fresh ingredients. And the service is extremely friendly.

Click here to see more Eating Italy posts.

Related posts:

  1. Eating Staggia – Pozzo dei Desideri
  2. Eating Bologna – Trattoria Leonida
  3. Eating Modena – Osteria del Pozzo
  4. Eating Cervia – Locanda dei Salinari
  5. Eating Modena – Il Fantino
By: agavin
Comments (2)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Chianti, Cooking, eating-italy, Florence, Italy, Meat, Michelin, pasta, Piazza del Campo, Prosciutto, Restaurant, Restaurant Review, Rome, Sangiovese, Siena, Toscana, Trattoria Pepei, Tuscany
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